Note: Javascript is disabled or is not supported by your browser. For this reason, some items on this page will be unavailable. For more information about this message, please visit this page: About CDC.gov.

Objective: To evaluate agreement between self-reported obstructive airways disease (OAD) diagnoses of asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)/emphysema obtained from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) monitoring questionnaires with physician diagnoses from FDNY medical records. Method: We measured sensitivity, specificity, and agreement between self-report and physician OAD diagnoses in FDNY members enrolled in the World Trade Center (WTC) monitoring program who completed a questionnaire between 8/2005-1/2012. Using logistic models, we identified characteristics of those who self-report a physician diagnosis that is also reported by FDNY physicians. Results: 20.3% of the study population (N = 14,615) self-reported OAD, while 15.1% received FDNY physician OAD diagnoses. Self-reported asthma had the highest sensitivity (68.7%) and overall agreement (91.9%) between sources. Non-asthma OAD had the lowest sensitivity (32.1%). Multivariate analyses showed that among those with an OAD diagnosis from FDNY medical records, inhaler use (OR = 4.90, 95% CI = 3.84-6.26) and respiratory symptoms (OR = 1.55 [95% CI = 1.25-1.92]-1.77 [95% CI = 1.37-2.27]) were associated with self-reported OAD diagnoses. Conclusion: Among participants in the WTC monitoring program, sensitivity for self-reported OAD diagnoses ranges from good to poor and improves by considering inhaler use. These findings highlight the need for improved patient communication and education, especially for bronchitis or COPD/emphysema.